


To Heal A Heart

by Seliphra



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Friendship, Healing, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith (Voltron) is an artist, Lance (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Lance (Voltron) is a Marine Biologist, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 13:17:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14379459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seliphra/pseuds/Seliphra
Summary: After an accident, Lance wakes up with a new gift. He's gained the ability to see peoples hearts, and he's not sure what it means, but when his new roommate has no heart, he makes it his mission to find out.





	To Heal A Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Written for art piece by Binuboi for the Klance Reverse Bang! Please leave a comment/Kudo if you enjoy it! Check me out on tumblr under the same url as well!

Lance never saw it coming. Even now, all he really remembers is starting to cross the street, pressure on his side, and then the hospital room, and his mother crying when he woke up and hugging him close. Lance also remembered when he first realized something had changed. It was not immediate, when he woke up his head hurt and his vision was blurry, but that had passed in a few hours. It was when his siblings came to visit and he could see something floating just behind them, red, shaped like the cliched version of a heart, the kind you might see only in animation.

He did not mention it, he did not know what it was after all, or if it was real. When his nurse came, she had one too, missing two pieces out of the top. It took him three days to realize he might be seeing peoples hearts. His best friend Hunk's was full, like his families, and most people were missing only one or two pieces at the most. But today was different, he guessed. The accident had been a month ago, and he had gone home shortly after waking up.

And today he had met someone with no heart at all. It was not so much that they were missing the little thing that floated just behind every single person he saw. That part was still there, but it was empty. Hollow. The missing pieces were always hollow, like someone had cut them out with a scalple, an outline of where they should be, dimly glowing around the missing piece to show where the full heart had once been. It looked oddly painful to Lance, though he suspected people could not actually feel it, as no one else seemed to see them to begin with. This man, he was missing all of it though. Nothing inside his floating heart, the entire outline glowing, painful and empty.

Lance did not know what the missing pieces meant, but they did concern him more after he discovered his friend Katie was missing two pieces to her heart. Katie's mother was also missing two pieces, oddly enough, though Lance did not piece together what it could mean. And today, now that his new dorm mate was missing his entire heart. Lance wondered if just ignoring him entirely was the best plan. Probably not, Lance did not know what missing pieces meant, after all. For all he knew this guy was totally-

“Uh. Hi, my names Keith. You must be Lance,” Lance's train of thought was derailed when his new dorm mate spoke. Keith. His name was Keith. Keith with no heart, and yet, he seemed kind enough. Lance has also definitely been awkwardly staring at him, quite by mistake. 

“Lance. It's nice to meet you. I uh, I guess you already picked your side of the room huh?” Lance asked, smiling a touch awkwardly. This new semester would be very strange indeed, with this new gift.

“Oh. Yeah. Um, I did. So that side is all yours,” Keith said, before returning to his side to finish unpacking. Lance noticed he did not have much in the way of things, but he did not care too much. Just so long as Keith did not steal his things. Or mess with his things. Or steal his food. They would get along probably decently enough, though Lance supposed there was also the matter of Keith being literally heartless to contend with. But hopefully this first year would go well.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith was nice, Lance decided. Keith was awkward, and he was pretty grumpy sometimes, but he was kind enough and did not mess with Lance's things or eat his food, so for now Lance liked him fine. Keith would stay out late sometimes, and come back to the room smelling of something Lance could not quite place. It smelled toxic whatever it was, until Lance finally caught Keith with a rather large canvas.

“Oh! You're in the _art_ program!” Lance was so relieved that his roommate was not cooking meth or building a bomb that he said his realization out loud, without thinking. He turned a brilliant shade of red when Keith merely stared at him in mild confusion at the comment.

“Yes. I paint. Why, what did you think I was in?” Keith asked him as he fixed the cover over the canvas. Lance caught the faintest glimpse of bright colours, but he could not really tell what the image was of. No heart, so probably something terrible or frightening or some sort of post-modern look into humanity.

“Oh. Nothing. I'm in the marine biology program. I uh, guess I assumed you were in science too, is all,” Lance lied, but it was a good cover really. He was not about to tell Keith that he thought he might be doing something illegal or harmful after all, not a good impression if Lance was wrong about him.

“Right. Um. I'm going to go now, okay? I gotta hand this in and stuff, only had it here 'cause I forgot something and this was half way between the studio and the class it's for, and I still gotta carry it across campus,” Keith said with a nod to Lance. He looked at Lance as though Lance was being odd, and Lance supposed he was. A morbid sort of curiosity filled Lance now though, and he wanted to see what was on the painting now.

“Sure, right, um. Would you like some help, it's kind of big and awkward looking,” Lance offered. Keith stared at him, a mix of confusion and surprise on his face, though Lance was not sure why. It was normal to offer something like that, was it not?

“What do you get out of it?” Keith asked, looking uncertain, though he did look too at the canvas, and Lance could tell he was seriously considering it.

“Nothing I guess. But you need help right? So I might as well, I don't have classes or work right now,” But his mother probably would call. Ever since the accident she had been especially worried about him. Lance understood why, at least.

“Yeah. Sure, I guess. Don't touch the painting though, hold it from the back,” Keith said, though he was still eyeing Lance as though trying to figure out what he wanted, or what his ulterior motives might be. They each picked up one end, and carefully and wordlessly walked it out of the dormitories.

The walk across campus got them a few looks, but nothing too out of the ordinary to see in a university either. Lance found his curiosity about the painting and about Keith growing the more they walked though.

“So, why not get a studio closer to your classes?” Lance asked after a moment, as they re-entered the building, and he thought he glimpsed a smile, though it might be a scowl too. Keith was hard to read, and he always looked kind of angry.

“I tried, they ran our of spaces,” Keith answered simply. And since they were first years, they had to live in the dorms too. Lance supposed that made sense, but all the same, this must be a big hassle every time he had a larger project to do.

“Why not make it smaller?” Lance asked though. He did not really know much about art, but he knew Keith could probably have chosen a smaller canvas for this piece. This thing was enormous, almost as big as either of them were. Lance sort of marveled at the fact that Keith had actually made it in the elevator with this thing on his own.

“Wouldn't have worked. Could you just shut up and carry it Lance?” Keith asked and Lance pouted at that. Although, it was heavy, and that did make talking somewhat more difficult than Lance had thought. It took them another ten minutes of silence, broken only by their breathing and ambient noise before Keith reached the room he needed and sighed, looking relieved. Lance waited there, for a second, waiting for at least a thank you.

“What?” Keith asked though, looking suddenly alarmed. An odd reaction, and also _rude_!

“Well, a thank you would be nice,” Lance huffed, crossing his arms in mild annoyance, though his annoyance faded somewhat with Keith's new expression. Apologetic, worried, and somewhere between still surprised, and pleased? Heartless people were apparently very complicated, it seemed.

“Oh. Right. Um. Thank you, Lance. I really appreciate your help,” Keith still looked uncertain, as though he expected Lance to do something more. Or ask more. Lance almost felt guilty now, wanting to ask what the painting was.

“Yeah. Sure, anytime. You know if you need help, you should just ask, right?” Lance said, and he was thrown off again by the look of surprise, then amusement Keith gave him.

“I'm fine. I'm used to doing everything on my own anyways, doesn't matter. I'm gonna go in now,” Keith said. Lance could not bring himself to ask now, not with Keith looking like he was hoping to escape before Lance could demand something from him. Still, Lance hung by, watching Keith get his piece in and setting it up. It seemed they were framing it in this room, and other students had a number of paintings. It looked like the assignment was rainy landscapes though, since everyone had one.

Lance hoped Keith did not see him spying, but he really was curious. Once Keith had it set up and a few frame samples to choose from, he pulled the tarp off, and Lance felt his heart leap in surprise, breath catching in his throat.

Keith's landscape was rainy, but also filled with brilliant colour. Rich reds, golds, and blues, the darkness of trees bursting into brilliant colours of autumn, and texture. Lance wanted to touch it, it popped out, and clearly used a lot of acrylic to do. Parts were flatter, the lights from the posts, the people in the distance, the pathways and benches. But the trees he made prominent. It was stunningly beautiful, and Lance could tell Keith would be getting high marks for that. Hell, Keith could get a high price-tag if he wanted it. Lance did not believe anyone with no heart could paint something so beautiful though. There had to be another explanation, and now Lance was determined to find out what had happened to Keith -and to others, for that matter- to cost them pieces of their hearts.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance was never quite sure if he should talk to Keith. He had headphones on most of the time, listening to music, when he was in the room at all. Lance had finished what he needed to though, for the night, and he was hungry, and he wanted to understand the puzzle that was his roommate and his lack of a heart, while not being heartless.

“Hey, uh, Keith?” Lance finally spoke, waving a hand at Keith to get his attention. Keith jumped a little, headphones coming off, as he looked over at Lance from his bed.

“What, what do you want?” Keith asked, and Lance was not sure about his tone, but then, there was much about Keith he was no longer sure about.

“Did you eat dinner yet? Wanna go get food with me?” Lance asked. Keith looked surprised by that too, and Lance worried a little bit. It seemed Keith was always looking for ulterior motives, always expecting the worst in Lance, and Lance was not entirely sure why that could be.

“I um. No. I mean, no I haven't eaten yet. I guess I should huh?” Keith still looked suspicious at that, but he relaxed a little bit too.

“Cool, let's go then. Um, do you like Thai? There's a place near here that's still open, we could go there? It's cheap and tasty, so um. Best of both worlds, really,” Lance joked, grinning at Keith as he stood up to get his shoes on.

“Yeah. Thai is good,” Keith said, sitting up and closing his laptop. Lance noticed it was a crappy one, old, and probably second-hand. Same with the headphones, held together by duct tape and prayer no doubt.

They left the dorm somewhat quietly and it wasn't until they were walking that Lance really spoke again.  
  
“So you don't go out a lot, do you?” Lance asked. He did not go out super often, but he had friends he saw too during the weekend sometimes, a good game night. And he went home on reading week, and Keith did not. It worried Lance, somehow, the idea that Keith had no one. It might explain the lack of heart too.

“Nope,” Keith said, simply. Alright then, change in question, stick and move, Lance could figure out what the missing pieces are if he could get answers out of Keith, he just knew it!

“Uh, any hobbies other than painting?” Lance hoped now.

“Yup,” Keith offered without explanation. Okay, so definitely a few walls up there maybe?

“Family and friends?” Lance asked, almost hopefully.

“Why do you wanna know?” Keith asked, looking at Lance suspiciously now. Geez, he was like a fortress! Lance was not sure why Keith was like this but Lance decided Keith was going to let him in now one way or another. Floating empty heart be damned.

“Anyone ever tell you that you have a lot of walls up?” Lance asked. This seemed to catch Keith off his guard at least, surprise showing through, and he shrugged one shoulder.

“Maybe you're just nosy. Maybe I do. Might be because my mom abandoned me when I was little. And then when my father died, I-” Keith froze, looking shocked at himself. Lance did too. Keith had shared something personal! But it was a bitter sweet victory, Keith apparently did not, in fact, have anyone. Except a roommate who tried a little too hard lately to be his friend.

“You know... you should probably talk to at least someone, right? I don't mind if you wanna just... share with someone. And I won't tell anyone either, but you seem like you could use a friend is all,” Lance said after a moment. He did not want to push it of course, but he was beginning to think he was wrong about his initial assessment of Keith being heartless.

“A friend huh? What do you get out of it?” Keith asked, looking suspicious again, and Lance realized now it was probably because no one had meant it before. It caused Lance's own heart to ache for Keith.

“I get a friend too. You really don't have anyone, huh? Well then! You definitely have me!” Lance said with a grin now.

“I-I didn't agree to that!” Keith protested, though the look on his face, Lance could tell he wanted it. And then something else happened, something small, that made Lance's eyes widen, and hope blossom inside him too. Inside of the hollow of Keith's painfully empty, glowing heart, a small piece grew in. Not a lot, just a small sliver. But it grew back. And that made Lance very hopeful, that he could help Keith, at least, gain back whatever was missing of himself now.

 

* * *

 

 

It took another month, but Lance began to learn more about his new friend Keith. The more he opened up about his life, the more the sliver of heart began to grow, and the more Keith began to relax around Lance. It took them being friends an entire month before Keith cracked his first joke around Lance, and the look on Keith's face when Lance had bent over laughing, holding his stomach was one Lance realized he never wanted to forget.

Lance had started this wanting to know what the missing pieces were, but he began to wonder, as he saw Katie's pieces healing slowly too, if it meant different things. His mother used to tell him after all, that when someone dies, they take a piece of you with them. Perhaps it was true of leaving too, in Keith's case especially.

But the more Keith let Lance in, the more that sliver grew. It would no doubt become stagnant then, but Lance was introducing him to Hunk and Katie tonight too.

“You sure they're nice?” Keith asked for the tenth time that day.

“Yeah, they'll like you too, I promise. They're some of my best friends, and they're gonna be yours too, promise!” Lance said.

“If you say so...” Keith said with a sigh, giving up now on his repeated questions about Katie and Hunk. Poor guy was anxious, and Lance had a feeling he really did want friends. Keith was anxious right up until they arrived at Katie's place, and her mother let them both inside.

“Lance, and you must be Keith! Lance told Katie he was bringing you tonight, please let me know if you need anything at all,” She said.

“We will Mrs. Holt! Is Hunk here yet? They upstairs, or downstairs?” Lance asked, grinning as they stepped inside. It was a nice house, a bit big for just her and Katie in it now, but neither Katie nor Colleen could bring themselves to disturb Matt and Samuel's things after they went missing.

“Downstairs, and yes, Hunk is here already. Have fun,” She said with a kind smile and Lance nodded before taking Keith's hand and leading him down to the other two. He did not notice this, of course, and he had let go by the time they made it to the basement.   
  
“Oh, hey! You must be Keith. I'm Katie, this is Hunk, and we're the most awesome people you will ever meet, other than Lance,” Katie said, and Keith smiled a little weakly. He was not as walled off with them as he had been with Lance, Lance noticed, though it may be because Lance was the first one inside those walls in a long time.

As the night progressed, Lance noticed two new slivers inside of Keith's heart, and though the empty bits still looked painful, Lance knew now that Keith would heal. They would all help him heal the holes in his heart. And Hunk and Katie did not even need to know they existed at all. Yeah, maybe those missing pieces were the ones taken by people Keith had loved. And now he had new pieces, new friends. And one day, Lance hoped, a new family too.

 


End file.
